Translating Mechanisms of Orofacial Neurological Disorder

From the Peripheral Nervous System to the Cerebral Cortex

Masayuki Kobayashi, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Tokyo, Japan

Noriaki Koshikawa, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Tokyo, Japan

Koichi Iwata, Nihon University School of Dentistry, Tokyo, Japan

John Waddington, Molecular & Cellular Therapeutics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland

In this volume, members of the International Translational Research Network on Orofacial Neurological Disorders and invited experts provide authoritative overviews of new aspects of motor function and sensation relating to neurological disorders in orofacial regions. Orofacial movements constitute fundamental motor patterns with essential roles in consummatory behavior, self-care, defensive and attack behaviors, vocalization and, in higher mammals, verbal as well as non-verbal communication. Clinically, dysfunction in orofacial movement is evident in numerous dental, cranio-maxillo-facial and neuropsychiatric disorders, including dysphagia, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.